Mentor Text Guidelines

Transcription

1 Mentor Text Guidelines What is a Mentor Text? A mentor text is a stellar text that is a model for good writing. For more information, please see the end of this document for a list of articles I ve written about mentor texts. How is a mentor text lesson plan different from a teachers guide? It s more focused. Many teachers guides provide activities for using the book across the curriculum (in Science, Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts). My focus is mainly on how your book can be a mentor to young writers. We are looking at the writing, using it as a mentor, and helping students realize they can write too! What will your mentor text lesson plan include? Writing Skills Focus This addresses what specific writing skills the lesson(s) will cover. Objectives This helps teachers know what the students will be able to do if taught this lesson. Standards I will align my lessons to Common Core State Standards. However, if you live or frequently speak in states that do not utilize the Common Core, I will align the lessons to your state s standards. I February

2 live and teach in Virginia, so I will also align all lessons to Virginia s Standards of Learning. Utilizing the mentor text I will walk teachers specifically through utilizing your mentor text in their writing classroom. I give tips and examples that I use in teaching myself. Transfer the skill to writing This is the most important part to me. Students can read and learn about what makes good writing. But they need to learn to transfer it to their OWN writing. My lesson plan will cover HOW to help students use what they ve learned and apply it to their own writing. If you d like to see mentor text lesson plans that I have written and used with my fourth graders, please take a look at the samples here: How Will a Mentor Text Lesson Plan Help My Book? It will give your book appeal to teachers and librarians. If they know that your book will fit in with their curriculum AND the lesson plan is already classroom-ready, then they will be more likely to want to use your book in their library or classroom. You can share this lesson plan with teachers and librarians in school visits and when you speak at a conference. It will help writing teachers use your words to help young writers blossom. February

3 MENTOR TEXT LESSON PLAN DETAILS What I ll Need: A review copy of your book. You can me an e-book at: marcie@marcieatkins.com OR You can snail mail me a copy. Contact me at Marcie@marcieatkins.com for a snail mail address. Timeline for Lesson Plan: Once I receive your book, I will read it and give you a timeline for getting the lesson plan finished (typically a few weeks to a month, depending on how many other projects I have taken on). If your book appeals to 3 rd -5 th grades, I like to actually do the lesson plan with my own students. You will NOT be charged for the time it takes me to actually work on this with my students. I am already being paid to teach. You will ONLY be charged for the time I work on writing your lesson plan outside of my classroom. Pricing: I charge $30 an hour. Most lesson plans will take me 4-5 hours. After reading your book, I will give you an official quote. Once the lesson plan is finished: I will give you the completed draft for your comments. We can discuss making changes. I will send you a PayPal invoice. You are welcome to post the lesson plan on your website or distribute to teachers. I will post a link on my website to your lesson plan on your website, if you wish. February

4 Credentials: Marcie Flinchum Atkins taught elementary school for 19 years and is now an elementary librarian. She and has an M.A. and M.F.A., both in children s literature, from Hollins University. During that time she has used mentor texts to teach students how to write, has led a book study for her colleagues on using mentor texts, developed a mentor text library for teachers at her school, and has spoken at conferences on how to use mentor texts. You can read more about mentor texts at her blog at: Click on the FOR TEACHERS tab. Contact her at: marcie@marcieatkins.com for customization of your mentor text lesson plan. BOOKS ABOUT MENTOR TEXTS: Mentor Texts for Writers: Book 1 Mentor Text Tips E-Book ARTICLES ABOUT MENTOR TEXTS: A Few Good Mentors, Highlighter: Mid-Atlantic, SCBWI Newsletter, Winter Mentor Texts: Market Your Book to Teachers, Fiction Notes, January 28, ( Mentor Texts: Teach Common Core Writing, Making the Common Core Practical, January 28, 2013 ( Reading and Studying Mentor Texts, DIYMFA, August 2013 ( February

5 Mentor Text Marketing: Getting Your Book into the Hands of Young Writers and Their Teachers, SCBWI BULLETIN, November Using Character-Driven Picture Books as Mentor Texts to Improve Your Own Writing. Alayne Kay Christian s blog, January ( Looking for Mentor Texts: The What, The Why, The How, The Where. Grog Blog. March 3, I Have Mentor Texts I Want to Use, Now What? Grog Blog. March 10, February